Key-filing device



May 9, 1939. E; N. HOWELL KEY-FILING DEVICE Filed June lOI 1958 Ln Ils man a a I l :D: am: e semana.

n a l o @M @amil www Patented May 9, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE KEY-FILING DEVICE Edward N. Howell, Swannanoa, N. C.

Application June 10, 1938, Serial No. 213,017

3 Claims.

My invention relates to filing devices for keys or the like.

An important object of the invention isto improve in general the key filing device shown in my prior Patent 1,742,542 issued to me on the date of January 7, 1930.

A further object of the invention is to provide a unitary slip or card holder and hook, to be mounted upon a supporting sheet or plate.

w A further object of the invention is to provide a combined holder and hook, which may be stamped from sheet metal or the like thereby producing a simple and cheap construction.

A further object of the invention is to provide l5 a device of the above mentioned character so constructed that an outward pull on the free end of the hook will exert an inward thrust on the loopof the hook.

A further object of the invention is to provide g.) a device of the above mentioned character wherein the hook is provi-ded near its free end with guide means for the key, when being inserted upon or being removed from the hook, such guide means being arranged in a plane sufficiently remote from the plane of the slip or card holder, that the slip or card holder will not be engaged by the key, in the normal use of the device.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the follow- :xo ing description.

In the accompanying Idrawing forming a part of this application and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

35 Figure 1 is a side elevation of a key i'lling device embodying my invention,

Figure 2 is an enlarged edge elevation of the same,

Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the .1 o combined unitary holder and hook,

Figure 4 is a central vertical longitudinal section through the same,

Figure 5 is a vertical section taken on line 5-5 of Figure 1, and,

l: Figure 6 is a similar view taken on line '6 6 of Figure 1.

In the drawing, wherein for the purpose of illustration isI shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral I0 designates a sup- ;,o porting sheet or plate, formed of suitably stiff material, such as aluminum, fiber, cardboard or the like. The sheet III is provided at its top with a laterally offset marginal portion I I. The numeral I2 designates a metal tab, receiving and 5,5 holding a slip or card I3, having thereon a designation for the sheet and embracing the designations of the key-receiving hooks, to be described. The sheet is shown as carrying thirty hooks to receive locker keys, and hence the slip or card I3 carries the designation Lockers l to 30. The 5 tab I2 is provided with a pair of resilient jaws III, which engage upon opposite sides of the offset marginal upper end portion II, Figures l, 2 and 6. The jaw Ili of the tab next to the hook carrying face of the sheet IS, is ilush with such face. 10 The invention is not restricted to the use with the precise form of tab I2.

As shown in Figure 1, the sheet IB is provided with three horizontal rows of combined slip or card holders and hooks, each of which is designated as a whole by the numeral I5. Each cornbined device includes a body portion IS, which is preferably formed of a flat section of sheet metal, having itsI upper horizontal edge bent forwardly upon itself to provide an upper retaining fiange II, while opposed retaining flanges I8 are stamped from the plate or body portion I5. The plate is slit vertically at I9 and these slits preferably extend to about the elevation of the flanges I8 and project downwardly to the lower edge of 25 the plate I6. The numeral 20 designates a hook including a loop having outer and inner sides 2I and 22. Thisl hook faces upwardly and projects downwardly and terminates at the lower end of the plate I6, as shown. The inner side 22 has an 30 outwardly projecting hump 23, and the inner side 22 is preferably formed integral with the plate I6 and joins with this plate at the upper ends o the slits I9. The outer side 2| is inclined or bent inwardly toward the hump 23 and then out- 35 wardly, providing an inwardly facing hump 24 and an outwardly inclined portion 25, and this extension isI preferably curved in cross-section. The extension 25 is not locally resilient, so that the free end of the hook is not locally resilient, while the loop of the hook is sufciently resilient to permit of the hump 24, opposite the hump 23, to move away from the hump 23, for the passage of the key. The hook 2i! is resilient and is substantially closed, that is, it is closed sufciently to prevent the removal of the key v-.f'ithout spreading the outer side of the hook.

A slip or card 2'5 is held to the plate i6, between the opposed flanges I'I and I8, and the slip or card will carry the designation for its key, such as L No. l, meaning the locker number and Key No. 214, meaning the serial number of the key. The slip or card may carry designations for rooms, etc. 'Ihe other slips or cards properly designate the locker and key number, as is ob- Al5 vious. The subject matter of the slips or cards may be varied, as desired.

Each plate I6 is attached to the sheet I0 by eyelets 26', as shown.

In View of the foregoing description, it is seen that the slip or card holder and hook is a unitary structure, adapted to be stamped from sheet metal or the like. B-y having the combined holders and hooks in units, and having the units separate, a larger adjustment and arrangement of the units is possible. As shown in Figure 1 of the drawing, the upper row of units preferably have their upper flanges I7 level with the upper edge of the offset marginal end portion I l. The space between the humps 23 and 24, is in a plane remote from the plane of the slips or cards 26, whereby there is very little, if any, liability of the key engaging with the slip or card, while it is being inserted upon or removed from the hook. A peculiar advantage in my construction is the mode of action of the hook 2l. When inserting the key upon the hook, or removing the same therefrom, the outer side 2| of the hook moves outwardly from the sheet IU, and the lower portion or loop of the hook rocks downwardly and the inner side of such loop is forced against the sheet lil. This relieves the inner side from undue local strain, particularly at the point of union with the plate I6.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. A key filing device comprising a sheet, a plurality of individual unitary structures mounted upon the sheet, each structure comprising a plate and a single substantially closed resilient hook, the hook facing upwardly and projecting downwardly to the lower edge of the plate, the hook comprising inner and outer sides, the inner side being adapted to engage with the sheet, the inner side having an outwardly projecting hump and the outer side having an inwardly projecting hump arranged opposite the first named hump, a force in an outward direction upon the free end of the hook serving to press the lower portion of the inner side against the sheet.

2. A key ling device comprising a plate having its upper end bent forwardly upon itself to provide a flange, said plate having flanges stamped outwardly therefrom at points spaced from the rst named flange, said plate having vertical slits. an upwardly facing hook integral with the plate and having inner and outer sides, the inner side having its side edges separated from the plate by the slits, the inner side having an outwardly projecting hump, the outer side having an inwardly projecting hump and continuing beyond its hump to provide an outwardly projecting extension, said extension being curved in cross section to render the same stiff, an outwardly acting force upon the upper end of the outer side serving to press the inner side of the hook inwardly.

3. A key-filing device, comprising a relatively g stiff supporting plate, a unitary combined slip or card holder and hook device to be mounted upon the supporting plate, said combined holding device comprising a sheet, said sheet having meansto hold a slip or card, a resilient hook formed integral with the sheet and having its lower end closed and its upper end normally suiciently closed to prevent of the accidental displacement of the key, said resilient hook includ ing inner and outer arms, the inner arm being f secured to the sheet and extending downwardly below its point of attachment with the sheet, the arms being provided near their upper ends with inwardly projecting humps, the inner arm being arranged to bear against the relatively stiff plate when the outer arm is shifted from such plate, and means to iixedly secure the sheet to the relatively stiff plate.

EDWARD N. HOWELL.

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